Headaches

Preventing headaches:

• Try avoiding the following potential causes:

  • Too much caffeine
  • Caffeine withdrawal
  • Bright lights
  • Alcohol, especially red wine
  • Cheese, especially aged cheese
  • Chocolate
  • Aspartame (artificial sweetener)
  • Dairy products
  • Hot dogs
  • Pizza
  • MSG
  • Figs
  • Peanut butter
  • Meats with nitrates (e.g., salami, bologna)
  • Sour cream
  • Nuts
  • Herring
  • Bananas
  • Lima beans
  • Onions
  • Yogurt
  • Smell of perfume or scented products
  • Missing meals
  • Not enough sleep
  • Too much sleep
  • Staying in one position (e.g., at a computer) for too long
  • Stormy weather
  • Breathing smoke
  • Premenstrual Syndrome reduce salt
  • Menstrual migraines • most common type of migraine
  • Birth control pills

Treating headaches:

• Consider trying whichever of the following seem appropriate:

  • Vitamins (B, esp. B-2 (Riboflavin))
  • Magnesium supplements
  • Massage
  • Acupuncture
  • Biofeedback • relaxation therapy which helps you control blood flow, muscle tension
  • Herbs (e.g., Feverfew)
  • Seeing a chiropractor

If headaches increase in frequency and/or troubling and/or requires medication and/or does not respond to treatments which used to work for you:

• Stop smoking
• Limit caffeine
• Avoid alcohol

If headaches persist:

• See a doctor to determine the possible causes • some headaches are caused by heredity
• Ask your doctor if your headaches might be caused by hormones • a reported 70% of headaches are caused by hormones
• Don’t hesitate to seek treatment even if people tell you to put up with the headaches
• Try to find a hospital or clinic which specializes in headaches

Children:

• Migraine headaches are the most common type of headache in children under 7

If your child has one or more of the following indications of a possible migraine headache:

• Unexplained vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Changes in behavior
• Sleep disorders
• Irritability
• Head-banging episodes
• Temper tantrums

• Take your child to a doctor
• Advise the doctor if there is a family history of migraine headaches

• Ask your doctor about treating with:

  • Antihistamines
  • Antidepressants